Brian Mayer, Sabrina Helm, Melissa Barnett and Mona Arora
Essential frontline workers in the retail sector face increased exposure risks to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to frequent interactions with the general public. Often…
Abstract
Purpose
Essential frontline workers in the retail sector face increased exposure risks to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to frequent interactions with the general public. Often these interactions are fraught with controversies over public safety protocols. The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of frontline workers' perceptions of workplace safety and customer misbehaviors on their stress and psychological distress to inform managing workplace health and safety during public health crises.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted an online survey of 3,344 supermarket workers in the state of Arizona (US) during the state's first COVID-19 pandemic wave in July 2020. Measures included mental health distress, and perceptions of workplace safety and customer behaviors. The authors utilized a mixed-methods approach combining multiple regression analyses with qualitative analyses of open-ended comments.
Findings
Workers reported high rates of stress and psychological distress. Increases in mental health morbidity were correlated with perceptions of being unsafe in the workplace and concerns about negative customer encounters. Qualitative analyses reveal frustration with management's efforts to reduce risks intertwined with feelings of being unsafe and vulnerable to threatening customer encounters.
Practical implications
The findings highlight the need to provide and enforce clear safety guidelines, including how to manage potential hostile customer interactions, to promote positive health workplace management during a pandemic.
Originality/value
This study is among the first to assess the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the mental health of non-health care frontline essential workers and presents novel insights regarding perceived customer misbehavior and need for management support and guidance in a public health crisis.
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Mona Jami Pour, Javad Mesrabadi and Mahnaz Hosseinzadeh
Today, the high cost of e-learning systems’ implementation and the difficulty of managing the infrastructures motivate educational institutions toward application of cloud-based…
Abstract
Purpose
Today, the high cost of e-learning systems’ implementation and the difficulty of managing the infrastructures motivate educational institutions toward application of cloud-based e-learning systems. This new system should be aligned with the academics’ aims and pedagogical principles to be beneficial for learners and instructors. Therefore, the vendor selection of learning systems is one of the most important processes to migrate toward cloud-based e-learning. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new framework to facilitate the vendor selection of cloud-based e-learning systems in the cloud market.
Design/methodology/approach
To identify the initial criteria as to the vendor selection of cloud-based e-learning services, a literature review is done. To enrich the initial criteria, a focus group of experts is investigated, and the framework developed; then, a survey analysis is conducted to validate the proposed framework. The extracted criteria and sub-criteria are weighted and prioritized using best-worst method (BWM).
Findings
The results indicate that the main dimensions of vendor selection framework as regards cloud-based e-learning systems are managerial, technological and pedagogical factors. The rank orders and weights of the mentioned aspects and their sub-criteria are calculated using the BWM.
Practical implications
The proposed framework helps managers to get a big picture of requirements as to cloud-based e-learning and more effectively to select appropriate vendors in this initiative. In the vendor selection process, managers must pay attention to technological issues as well as managerial and pedagogical considerations.
Originality/value
Cloud-based e-learning systems are getting increasingly essential to offer training courses more efficiently in educational institutions. Although the intersection between cloud computing and e-learning has increasingly grown in both practical and academic contexts, there are little studies on how educational institutions and organizations could be able to select appropriate cloud-based e-learning systems. This paper explores the ignored but critically important subject of cloud-based e-learning. The main contribution of this paper is to propose a novel and integrated framework containing the important aspects of vendor selection in cloud-based e-learning services. The proposed framework comprises managerial, technological and pedagogical aspects simultaneously as well as sub-criteria denoting each aspect.
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Mohamed M. Elsotouhy, Abdelkader M. A. Mobarak, Mona I. Dakrory, Mohamed A. Ghonim and Mohamed A. Khashan
Despite the significance of donations (Sadaqah) via mobile payment in Islamic countries, little is known about the variables influencing continuance intention toward using…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the significance of donations (Sadaqah) via mobile payment in Islamic countries, little is known about the variables influencing continuance intention toward using m-payment for donations (Sadaqah). Based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model, this research explores the influence of perceived quality (i.e. system, information, service) as a stimulus on customer satisfaction, engagement and delight as organisms, which then affects continuance intention toward using m-payment for donations (Sadaqah) as a response. Moreover, the study investigates the moderating role of Islamic religiosity.
Design/methodology/approach
Using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), a representative data sample of 419 Egyptian Muslims was analyzed to test hypotheses.
Findings
The findings revealed that all perceived quality constructs significantly positively affect customers' satisfaction. Customer satisfaction, in turn, positively affects customer engagement and delight. Moreover, customer engagement, delight and Islamic religiosity significantly positively affect continuance intention toward using m-payment for donations (Sadaqah). The findings also revealed that Islamic religiosity moderates the influence of customer engagement and customer delight on continuance intention toward using m-payment for donations (Sadaqah).
Originality/value
This is the first study to examine using m-payment for donations (Sadaqah) in an Islamic environment based on the S-O-R model.
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Mona Ashok, Mouza Saeed Mohammed Al Badi Al Dhaheri, Rohit Madan and Michael D. Dzandu
Knowledge management (KM) is associated with higher performance and innovative culture; KM can help the public sector to be fiscally lean and meet diverse stakeholders’ needs…
Abstract
Purpose
Knowledge management (KM) is associated with higher performance and innovative culture; KM can help the public sector to be fiscally lean and meet diverse stakeholders’ needs. However, hierarchical structures, bureaucratic culture and rigid processes inhibit KM adoption and generate inertia. This study aims to explore the nature and causes of this inertia within the context of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) public sector.
Design/methodology/approach
Using an in-depth case study of a UAE public sector organisation, this study explores how organisational inertia can be countered to enable KM adoption. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with 17 top- and middle-level managers from operational, management and strategic levels. Interview data is triangulated with content analysis from multiple sources, including the UAE Government and case organisation documents.
Findings
The results show transformation leadership, external factors and organisational culture mediate the negative effect of inertia on KM practices adoption. We find that information technology plays a key role in enabling knowledge creation, access, adoption and sharing. Furthermore, we uncover a virtuous cycle between organisational culture and KM practices adoption in the public sector. In addition, we develop a new model (the relationship between KM practices, organisational inertia, organisational culture, transformational leadership traits and external factors) and four propositions for empirical testing by future researchers. We also present a cross-case comparison of our results with six private/quasi-private sector cases who have implemented KM practices.
Research limitations/implications
Qualitative data is collected from a single case study.
Originality/value
Inertia in a public section is a result of bureaucracy and authority bounded by the rules and regulations. Adopting a qualitative methodology and case study method, the research explores the phenomena of how inertia impacts KM adoption in public sector environments. Our findings reveal the underlying mechanisms of how internal and external organisational factors impact inertia. Internally, supportive organisational culture and transformational leadership traits positively effect KM adoption, which, in turn, has a positive effect on organisational culture to counter organisational inertia. Externally, a progressive national culture, strategy and policy can support a knowledge-based organisation that embraces change. This study develops a new model (interactions between internal and external factors impacting KM practices in the public sector), four propositions and a new two-stage process model for KM adoption in the public sector. We present a case-comparison of how the constructs interact in a public sector as compared to six private/quasi-private sector cases from the literature.
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Reports briefly on the Technical Sessions and other presentations of the 43rd All‐India Conference of the Indian Library Association, and mentions the recommendations made by…
Abstract
Reports briefly on the Technical Sessions and other presentations of the 43rd All‐India Conference of the Indian Library Association, and mentions the recommendations made by delegates at the conclusion of the conference.
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Mansi Gupta and Rakesh Mohan Joshi
This study aims to provide a structured and comprehensive synthesis of studies of the art infusion phenomenon, which describes the influence of art on consumers’ perception and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to provide a structured and comprehensive synthesis of studies of the art infusion phenomenon, which describes the influence of art on consumers’ perception and evaluation of a product with which that art is associated. Further, this study aims to identify the issues in the literature and suggest future research directions.
Design/methodology/approach
Publications relevant to the art infusion phenomenon until 2021 were identified through a systematic literature review. Subsequently, the 35 retrieved articles that met the selection criteria were evaluated using descriptive and content analyses.
Findings
This literature review brings to light the origin, significance, evolution and development of the art infusion phenomenon. This study highlights the catalogue of drivers of this phenomenon and illuminates the interrelationships among the factors through a conceptual model using the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) paradigm.
Research limitations/implications
This study adds to the art infusion literature by synthesizing extant studies and presenting a comprehensive overview of the subject, thereby motivating its prorogation and becoming a single point of reference for scholars.
Originality/value
The art infusion phenomenon has become a dominant theoretical pillar in the fields of arts and branding. However, little effort has been made to systematically review research on the phenomenon and consolidate its findings. To address this gap, this study first identifies and categorizes the factors that influence the art infusion phenomenon using the SOR paradigm. This study then creates a conceptual model that elucidates the interrelationships among the key elements of the phenomenon.
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Boshra Ahmed Halo, Rashid Al-Yahyai, Abdullah Al-Sadi and Asma Al-Sibani
Crops are increasingly affected by drought; hence, the current study explored the potential role of three desert endophytic fungi, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus terreus and…
Abstract
Purpose
Crops are increasingly affected by drought; hence, the current study explored the potential role of three desert endophytic fungi, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus terreus and Talaromyces variabilis, in conferring drought tolerance in tomato plants.
Design/methodology/approach
Preserved endophytic fungi from a Rhazya stricta desert plant were adopted to obtain the required fungal treatment; tomatoes received fungal treatments directly in plastic trays and subsequently in pots. Drought was applied using 15% of PEG-6000 at two stages: flowering and fruiting. The following parameters were measured: pollen sterility, growth characteristics, morphological analysis and biochemical analysis, including proline, gibberellic acid (GA3) and chlorophyll measurements; thus, the data were analyzed statistically using SPSS software.
Findings
All applied endophytes significantly promoted pollen viability and tomato yield under stressed and nonstressed conditions. Interestingly, these endophytes significantly enhanced the number of trichomes under drought stress and promoted tomato fruit quality. The colonized tomato plants accumulated a high proline level under drought stress but lower than un-inoculated stressed plants. Also, a significant rise in growth characteristics was observed by A. fumigatus and A. terreus under normal conditions. Moreover, both raised GA3 levels under drought-stressed and nonstressed conditions. Also these two endophytes enhanced chlorophyll and carotenoid contents under drought stress. Fruit characteristics were enhanced by nonstressed T. variabilis and stressed A. fumigatus.
Originality/value
The present endophytic fungi provide impressive benefits to their host in normal and drought-stressed conditions. Consequently, they represent valuable sources as sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives to mitigate drought stress.
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María D. Illescas-Manzano, Sergio Martínez-Puertas and Manuel Sánchez-Pérez
Hotels are immersed in a very competitive environment and hoteliers have to plan and redesign their strategies to stay in the hospitality industry while faced with a steady rise…
Abstract
Purpose
Hotels are immersed in a very competitive environment and hoteliers have to plan and redesign their strategies to stay in the hospitality industry while faced with a steady rise in competition. Hoteliers can employ horizontal differentiation strategies and pricing decisions to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors. The goal of our work is to analyse the effect of pricing and horizontal differentiation strategy of a hotel on its online reputation and to analyse if the hotel location and agglomeration of competitors moderates their relationship with online reputation.
Design/methodology/approach
With a sample of 264 hotels from Paris, an empirical study is developed that aims to analyse, using regression techniques, the impact of price, differentiation, location and competitive environment on online ratings given by consumers in the hospitality context.
Findings
The paper provides empirical evidence of how a good location improves the online reputation of a company and how pricing strategies should take into account the location and number of competitors since a good location allows premium prices to be valued positively by consumers while an inappropriate location can produce the opposite effect. Depending on location, the number of competitors can intensify or reduce the effect of price on online reputation. Finally, online reputation only benefits from horizontal differentiation strategies when the degree of agglomeration is low.
Originality/value
This work provides insights about how hotels can strengthen their online reputation through pricing and differentiation strategies, incorporating elements of their environment such as location and competition in this decision-making process.
研究目的
酒店處於一個競爭非常激烈的經營環境中,營運者要面對競爭日益加劇的挑戰,在這情況下,他們必須計劃並重新設計其策略,以在酒店服務業中仍能繼續其業務。營運者可採用水平分化策略和定價決策,以取得比同業更大的競爭優勢。本研究旨在分析,若酒店採用價格及水平差異之策略,這對它們的網上聲譽會起什麽效應;研究亦探討酒店所處的位置及競爭者的凝聚會否減弱其與網上聲譽的關係。
研究設計/方法/理念
研究樣本為來自巴黎264間酒店。研究人員採用實驗研究法,透過迴歸分析法,去分析在酒店服務的背景下,價格、差異化、地點和競爭環境如何影響消費者所給予的網上評分。
研究結果
本文提供了經驗性證據,證明良好的地點會改善公司的網絡聲譽; 同時,亦證明釐定價格策略時,經營者應考慮競爭者的位置和數目,這是因為良好的地點會讓消費者正面評價溢價,而不合適的地點則會導致相反的效應。根據所在的地點,消費者的數目能增強或減弱價格對網絡聲譽的影響。最後,本文也證明了網絡聲譽只會在凝聚程度低的情況下才會受惠於水平分化策略。
研究的原創性/價值
本研究提供啟示,使我們更明瞭酒店如何能透過價格及差異化策略,同時亦透過把它們的環境元素如地點和競爭等納入決策程序中,來強化網絡聲譽。
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Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, Javaid Iqbal Khan, Javed Ahmad Bhat and Sajad Ahmad Bhat
This study attempts to quantify the degree of independence of Central Bank of India from both legal and behavioural contexts over the period 1990–1991 to 2018–2019, a period…
Abstract
Purpose
This study attempts to quantify the degree of independence of Central Bank of India from both legal and behavioural contexts over the period 1990–1991 to 2018–2019, a period encompassing major developments in the operation and regulation of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Design/methodology/approach
We followed Jasmine et al. (2019) to calculate the magnitude of de jure independence of RBI and for de facto independence, “turnover rate (TOR) of CB governor” as proposed by Cukierman et al. (1992) is applied.
Findings
The results report that the legal autonomy of RBI increased specifically after the reforms and post formulation of Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). However, the actual independence of RBI remains more or less in line within the critical threshold limit of 0.2.
Practical implications
The study proposes effective implementation of laws and procedures designed to promote the independence of Central Bank of India imperative for an effective monetary operation along with a coordinated fiscal policy.
Originality/value
Targeted study of a particular central bank on its “independence” aspect in general and of the Reserve Bank of India in particular has not been attempted as on date. It is to this end that the present study contributes.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-02-2023-0098.